Iron and Clay

Clyde Finklea, recounting an incident from his youth in which the tailwinds of a violent storm blew him off his feet, as well as reflecting on the lyrics of Bob Seeger's song, "Against the Wind," warns us that our calling resembles walking headlong into dangerous, deadly storm currents. Satan and his demonic entourage are fighting against God, stealthily working behind the scenes, influencing political, religious, and cultural currents of thought throughout the world. God has designated Michael, one of the former covering archangels to be the chief prince over Israel, providing protection against the relentless, continual onslaught conducted by Satan and his demons. In the fullness of time, perhaps it will be Michael who casts Satan and his consorts into an abyss. In the meantime, God's called-out ones must run against the winds created by the prince of the power of the air, resisting these deadly currents with fortification from the armor of God.

Martin Collins, reminding us that Daniel had received wisdom, influence, and health from God, also points out that God placed Daniel in a position of greater influence after He exposed Him to greater danger. God is sovereign over our lives in every circumstance, enabling us to cope with anything the world and Satan can throw at us, giving us the promise of the power to endure. The book of Daniel, written partially in Hebrew and part in Aramaic indicates that God intended the message to both the Hebrews and the Chaldeans, substantiating the authenticity of this document. The circumstances surrounding Nebuchadnezzar's fearful dream set the stage for God's revelation of His power, plan, and prophetic intentions (through His servants) as well as the foolishness of astrology. Daniel, despite the fearful events, kept his focus upon God and didn't arrogate any powers to himself, but humbly acknowledged and thanked God for the wisdom and power. Because of Daniel's faith and his fervent prayer, God revealed the contents of the dream, providing a witness to Nebuchadnezzar and his idolatrous nation that God is absolutely sovereign over time and ultimately controls the outcome of all worldly events, predicting the fate of Babylon (the prototype of all world empires), the Medo-Persian empire, the Graeco-Macedonian empire, and the Roman empire, partly strong and partly fragile. Because of the precarious colloidal mixture of iron and clay at the end of the age, it will be extremely difficult for things to hold together. Thankfully, God's everlasting Kingdom having Jesus Christ as the capstone or cornerstone) will bring an end to these competitive, fractious, arrogant, and evil worldly systems, which have degenerated over epochs of time, using technology to swap greatness and magnificence for raw power and control. God always plans ahead for the protection of His people.

This article, the last in the series, explores the fourth world-ruling empire of Daniel 2. Explained further in Daniel 7 as a terrifying beast, this empire and its "horns" play a role down to the return of Christ!

Nebuchadnezzar's image has always held a certain fascination with students of Bible prophecy. What do the various parts mean? How does it relate to the end time? Richard Ritenbaugh explains the image and its prophetic implications.

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